Tag Archives: Restoran Makko

Mark and I decided that it was high time to break out the Apidura saddle bags and go on an overnight bicycle trip. We chose Melaka as our destination, because it is a reasonable distance from Kuala Lumpur, the roads are generally good, and the eating along the way and in Melaka is excellent.

After some canvassing, we had a group of six. Alan and Chee Seng could not stay overnight, so their plan was to ride to Melaka, and then get to Tampin KTM station for the train back to KL. Johan S., Ridzuwan, Mark and I would spend Thursday night in Melaka.

We were all excited about the trip. Bikes and saddle bags were set up the day before, and some of us struggled to get to sleep the night before.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

Photograph courtesy of Johan Sopiee

We started from where I live. We were on the MEX Highway by about 6.15am. The adrenaline levels are a bit high when riding on MEX. It is a highway after all. Though at that early hour, there isn’t much traffic leaving KL, so the riding is not too fraught.

We made a quick pit stop at the Seri Kembangan R&R.

Photograph courtesy of Alan Tan

As expected, given the wet weather of the preceding days, we got rained on as we left the R&R. Fortunately the rain wasn’t heavy, and it didn’t last long. We did have wet roads until we reached Dengkil. A benefit of the Apidura saddle bag is that it extends back far enough to block the spray coming off the rear wheel. It is like riding with a rear mud guard.

Dengkil was where our first planned food stop. There is a roadside stall on the corner of Jalan Aman and Jalan Mutiara 1J. We stop there for breakfast whenever our rides take us through Dengkil.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

We had a visitor looking for handouts during breakfast.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

From the Dengkil bypass we rode along the busy Putrajaya–Cyberjaya Expressway and the Nilai – KLIA Highway before turning right onto the quieter Jalan Besar Salak at Salak Tinggi.

Photograph courtesy of Johan Sopiee

Our next stop was at the Shell station in Sepang. 70km / 43.5mi done. 110km / 68mi to go. It was supposed to be a short stop for drinks and the loo, but soon after this picture was taken . . .

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

this picture was taken.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

My front tire had gone soft while we were at the Shell station. This was the culprit.

Photograph courtesy of Alan Tan

An advantage of Two-Way Fit™ rims is that the tire bead stays locked to the rim after a puncture. A flat tire doesn’t roll off the rim. A very useful quality when you get a flat while speeding down a winding descent.

The associated disadvantage of 2-Way Fit™ rims is that it is difficult to get the tire off the rim, and even more difficult to seat the tire properly when reinflating the tube. Thank goodness for the air pump at the petrol station, which generated enough air pressure to quickly seat the tire.

Happy smiles as we finally got going again.

Photograph courtesy of Johan Sopiee

We rode out of the Shell station onto Federal Route 5, which runs along the west side of Peninsular Malaysia, from Skudai in the south to Ipoh in the north.

Our intermediate destination was Cendol Azmi in Port Dickson. Which serves some of the best cendol I have ever had. Mark and I have been there a number of times. We talked up Cendol Azmi over the 25km / 15.5mi to Port Dickson.

So imagine our collective disappointment when we go to Cendol Azmi and found it closed. What a letdown!

We settled on Sukand’s Food Station, across the road from Cendol Azmi.

Photograph courtesy of Lee Chee Seng

To Sukand’s credit, their cendol was pretty good. As was the three-layer air bandung.

Photograph courtesy of Alan Tan

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

We debated having lunch in Port Dickson, but decided to hold out until we got to Kuala Sungai Baru, across the state border in Melaka. Mark and I had eaten at Kuala Seafood during previous cycling trips to Melaka. That restaurant was a highlight every time.

We stopped to buy Cokes at Pasir Panjang, about halfway between Port Dickson and Kuala Sungai Baru. We then picked up the pace over the 20km to Kuala Seafood. 2pm had come and gone, and we were hungry.

So imagine our extreme disappointment when we got to Kuala Seafood and found it closed. What a bummer!!

There weren’t many options for food. The few restaurants in the vicinity had sold out of their lunch offerings. We settled for some mediocre fried rice, just to fill out stomachs more than anything else.

We had 40km / 25mi to go to Melaka. Alan had been talking about getting coconut shakes once we got there. Melaka is known for good coconut shakes. Alan said that Klebang Original Coconut Shake was the place. Having been disappointed twice already, we made Alan call Klebang Original Coconut Shake to make sure that it was open.

It was.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

And the coconut shakes were good. Good enough for us to drink a second round of shakes.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

This place is worth visiting again.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

By the time we left Klebang Original Coconut Shake, my patched inner tube was failing. I gave it a good pump up, and Johan S., Mark, Ridzuwan and I headed to our hotel.

Alan and Chee Seng were heading back to KL that evening. They first rode to Jonker Walk and Dutch Square for obligatory tourist photographs.

Photograph courtesy of Lee Chee Seng

And a refreshing recovery beverage.

Photograph courtesy of Lee Chee Seng

The rest of us checked in to the Hallmark Crown Hotel. I had booked the hotel sight unseen. Welcome to the Internet Age! The price was right – about USD25 per night for a double occupancy room, including buffet breakfast.

We weren’t expecting much, but were pleasantly surprised when we got to our rooms. Which were clean and comfortable, and had air-conditioning and a mini-fridge which worked. Plus there was lots of hot water on the shower, and the free wifi signal was strong.

Showered and changed, we walked to the next food destination on our list. The Makko Nyonya Restaurant. Another repeat visit venue for Mark and I. Fortunately for the two of us, Makko was open!

We loaded our bikes and ourselves into the last carriage of the train.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

Two and a bit hours later, we were at the Bank Negara KTM station in KL. It is a short ride from there to where I live.

It was lunch time, so we made a side trip first, to Santa Chapati House on Jalan Sarikei. A fitting end to our two-day adventure. It was, after all, an eating trip with some cycling thrown in for variety.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

Thank you Alan, Chee Seng, Johan S., Ridzuwan and Mark for your enjoyable company. We had a lot of laughs and good riding. To be repeated for sure.

Footnote

The graphic at the top of this post is a mashup of our coconut shakes and the logo for a anti-littering campaign which was launched by the Melaka state government in 2014. A take on the “Don’t Mess With Texas” campaign started there in 1986.

The ride didn’t start very auspiciously. Liang had a puncture after 8km / 5mi.

Photograph courtesy of Alvin Lee

You know that feeling you get when one of your mates gets a puncture? That “Glad it’s not me” feeling? I lost that feeling as soon I got back on my bike.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

My rear tire was flat.

I checked the tire for any embedded sharp objects that would have punctured the inner tube. I didn’t find anything, so installed and inflated a new tube.

Which immediately started losing air. So I had to go through the whole process again. We were at this bus stop for fifty five minutes, fixing flats.

As we were in touring mode, the delay didn’t bother us. And with Alvin and Liang having to pedal nonstop, even going downhill, speeds were moderate.

We figured on a stop every 30km / 19mi or so to rest and fill bottles. The PETRONAS station at Pekan Salak came at just the right time. As we left the petrol station we spotted a small bicycle shop, where Liang and I stocked up on inner tubes. At what was a slightly overpriced RM18 each. But as the saying goes, beggars can’t be choosers.

Photograph courtesy of Alvin Lee

From Pekan Salak the route took us to Sepang, where we joined Route 5 to Port Dickson. Our route was almost identical to that taken by the BCG Tour from Kajang to Melaka.

Our next stop was at the 99 Speedmart in Tanah Merah. For Cokes, Nestlé Bliss peach mango yogurt drink, and water.

Photograph courtesy of Alvin Lee

We got to McDonald’s at the Port Dickson Waterfront at about noon. That McDonald’s has become a standard stop on any of our rides through Port Dickson. Usually for something to eat as well as something to drink. This time we just had a drink. Lunch would be grilled chicken at Cowboy Place in Teluk Kemang.

Photograph courtesy of Alvin Lee

When we got back on our bikes, I saw that my rear tire had flatted. Again. I was getting tired of this. It’s a good thing I had bought some inner tubes in Pekan Salak.

Photograph courtesy of Alvin Lee

An almost forensic examination of the tire finally revealed the culprit. Undetectable by touch, and visible only by flexing the tire.

Photograph courtesy of Alvin Lee

Another flat tire, and I would have been tempted to leave my bike up a tree.

Photograph courtesy of Alvin Lee

By the time we got to Cowboy Place it was 1.30pm. We were all hungry. To the tune of one and a half chickens, a plate of mixed vegetables, and two omelets. Washed down with pitchers of watermelon juice. In retrospect the grilled chicken wasn’t all that good. But as I said, we were hungry at the time.

Photograph courtesy of Alvin Lee

As we were finishing our lunch, a storm rumbled through to the north east of Teluk Kemang. All we got was a very light sprinkle. Nonetheless, very much appreciated as it cooled the air. But not for long. The sun came back out, and the air turned steamy as the day warmed up again.

With the sun beating down, we were ready for our next “every 30km / 19mi” stop. Which came at Restoran Kuala Seafood in Kuala Sungai Baru. We rehydrated, and caught up on essentials. Be it social media updates, or a nap.

Photograph courtesy of Alvin Lee

After Kuala Sungai Baru we hit 25km / 15.5mi of rolling terrain to Tanjong Kling. Liang and Alvin stopped along the way in Sungai Udang to get something to eat. I am not surprised that they needed food. Riding fixies had to be really hard work.

Liang was riding a 48 tooth chainring with a 16 tooth rear cog. Alvin had a 49 tooth chainring with a 17 tooth rear cog. That means that for each turn of the crank, Liang travelled 6.3 meters / 20.6 feet, and Alvin travelled 6.0 meters / 19.7 feet. Those are hard gears to push on the flat, let alone uphill. Without the opportunity to coast and rest every now and then.

Photograph courtesy of Alvin Lee

Mark and I continued on into Melaka to visit a bike shop. While fixing my first flat tire of the day, I had discovered a cut in the sidewall of my rear tire. I had booted the tire with a one ringgit bill (a benefit of plastic notes), but didn’t want to risk riding on it for longer than absolutely necessary.

KHS Bicycles installed a new tire for me. And in the process discovered that I had a suspect tube in my front tire. So my ride to Melaka cost me five inner tubes. I bought four inner tubes at KHS, for a more reasonable RM15 each.

Alvin and Liang caught up with Mark and I at the bike shop. Which Alvin and Mark must have mistaken for a bar!

Photograph courtesy of Alvin Lee

It wasn’t far from the bike shop to the Fenix Inn. Our home for the night. Chosen for its proximity to the historic heart of Melaka, and for the fact that it allows bicycles in the rooms.

Showered and changed, it was time for dinner. The original plan was to walk to Restoran Nyonya Makko. However that restaurant is closed on Tuesdays. So Mark consulted Google for alternatives.

This year’s Melaka Century Ride was scheduled for 30th October. On the evening of 25th October, the event organiser, Myskill Media Sdn. Bhd., issued a statement announcing that the event had been cancelled due to “financial problems.”

This announcement was met with disbelief, and not a small amount of anger, by everyone who had coughed up RM130 each to participate. Many felt that the approximately RM400,000 in participation fees collected by Myskill Media, plus support from sponsors, was sufficient to run this event.

Myskill Media’s offer to hand out event jerseys and finisher’s medals on the day before the ride was scheduled added fuel to the fire, prompting comments that can be summarized as “You can keep your ****ing jersey and medal. I want a full refund.”

The plot thickened when the cycling kit supplier announced that he had not released the jerseys and medals because Myskill Media had not yet made full payment for them. Myskill Media subsequently cancelled the distribution of jerseys and medals, instead saying that they would post the items to participants. None of us believe this will happen.

I suspect the effect of this cancellation will be felt for some time. Not just by Myskill Media, which has had numerous police reports made against it, some at the behest of the Chief Minister of Melaka, who stated that the state government would support police investigations by standing as witnesses.

But also by other cycling event organisers. Many in the cycling fraternity feel that they have been conned by Myskill Media. That financial fraud has been committed. Riders will think twice about trusting the organisers of future events. It may be that the number of road cycling events in future will shrink to just the few which have established a positive reputation. Events like the Janamanjung Fellowship Ride, which has been a standout example of excellent event organisation for some years now, and the LEKAS Highway Ride, which has benefitted from having heavyweight sponsors like Shimano, RHB, and IJM Land.

The money that we participants had sunk into this year’s Melaka Century Ride was not limited to the registration fee. Many had paid for advance hotel reservations, bus charters, flights and so on.

Bayou Lagoon Park Resort, the official hotel for this event, deserves credit, kudos, and appreciation. The hotel management offered participants the option of a full refund, or room vouchers valid for six months.

I was among a group of eleven who were booked into the Novotel Melaka, so we were out of luck as far as refunds for accommodation were concerned. To make the best of a bad deal, we decided to travel to Melaka as planned, and to ride our own route. Most of the group made a weekend of it, with a round of golf on Saturday, enroute to Melaka.

I don’t play golf, so I drove to Melaka on Saturday evening. I do eat though, and joined everyone at Kocik Kitchen, in the Jonker Street area, for a bowl of cendol. Made at that stand outside the entrance.

Photograph courtesy of sgmytaxi.com

The next morning we were all present and accounted for, ready for our ride.

Photograph courtesy of TH Lim

We rode to Muar first. It was my job to guide the group along the route used for the Audax BRM400. I am pleased to report that I didn’t get lost this time. Rather than ride straight back to Melaka, we took a longer return route through Tangkak and Jasin.

The first order of business upon arriving in Muar was a group photograph in front of the monument built to commemorate the coronation of the current Sultan of Johor.

Photograph courtesy of Simon Suhoo

Attention then turned to more important matters. Muar is home to a noted oyster misua restaurant. We had to find it though.

After 30 minutes of fruitless searching we came across Otak Otak Cheng Boi on Jalan Bentayan. No chairs and tables here. Just a couple of men at a long grill turning out dozens and dozens of grilled fish cakes. You place your order, pay, and leave with your piping hot otak otak.

Photograph courtesy of wikipedia.org

We left with 100 of these feather palm wrapped grilled fish cakes. 50 to a box. We finished one box while standing in the covered porch in front of the shop. The other box went into a backpack, to be taken wherever we ended up for lunch.

That turned out to be Kedai Makanan Yong Kee on Jalan Haji Abu, better known as Glutton Street.

Photograph courtesy of Kino Lim

We got there at about 11am, and the place was packed. Every table was taken. So we spread out and stood behind people who looked like they were almost finished eating. Waiting to claim their stools and their tables as soon as they stood up.

Within ten minutes we had commandeered a couple of tables. Food orders had been made while we were still waiting for tables, so it wasn’t long before we were tucking into bowls of wan tan mee. And more otak otak.

Midway through our meal, we all had to get up and move our bicycles. We had stacked them around an unoccupied street stall outside Yong Kee.

The vendor had arrived, and wanted to open for business.

Fed and watered, we headed back over the Muar River and north to Tangkak. Well-known as the main entryway to Gunung Ledang (Mount Ophir). We gave the mountain a miss, opting for the cool of a PETRONAS station instead.

It had been a largely overcast day, but by the time we left Tangkak for Jasin, the sun had started making itself felt. We ducked into the forecourt of a Petron station in Jasin for a rest and a toilet break. We agreed to stop again at whichever petrol station we came across after the next 2okm / 12mi or so.

We needed that next stop for two reasons. One reason was that after 70km / 43mi of almost pan-flat terrain, we had ventured into hillier country. We were all working harder to get ourselves over the rolling countryside. Hence a short rest along the way.

Photograph courtesy of Simon Suhoo

The second reason was that the weather went from dry to raining very hard in a matter of minutes. As good fortune would have it, a PETRONAS station appeared exactly 20km after we left Jasin.

Photograph courtesy of Simon Suhoo

It was literally a cloudburst. Lots of water fell in a short time. Then the rain stopped and the sun came back out. As we rode away from that petrol station in Ayer Molek I noted how quickly the roads had dried.

We all rolled into the Novotel car park 15km / 9mi later. It was time for something cold to drink, and later that evening, something to eat.

Photograph courtesy of Tripadvisor.com

Well worth a visit, despite the hour-long wait for a table. Nyonya food at its best.

Photograph courtesy of tripadvisor.com

Photograph courtesy of tripadvisor.com

Photograph courtesy of tripadvisor.com

Photograph courtesy of tripadvisor.com

Photograph courtesy of tripadvisor.com

Photograph courtesy of tripadvisor.com

Despite the frustration over the cancelled century ride, we all had a good time.